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Tualatin to seek $20 million traffic improvement bond

The council approved sending the measure, which would cost the average homeowner about $150 yearly, to voters in May.

The Tualatin City Council has agreed to ask voters if they will support a $20 million general obligation bond to provide relief for congested streets and provide neighborhood safety improvements.

On Monday, the council unanimously agreed to send voters in May a measure designed to add new signals and travel lanes with hopes of improving traffic flow on Tualatin-Sherwood Road, Sagert Street, Martinazzi Avenue, Tualatin Road and Myslony Street and other streets.

In addition, a variety of safety projects are expected including pedestrian crossings with signals, crosswalks, sidewalks, driver feedback signs that display speed and other improvements are expected to be added to such streets as Boones Ferry Road, the Garden Corner Curves at 105th Avenue and Blake Street, Sagert Street, Martinazzi Avenue, Highway 99W, Grahams Ferry Road and other roadways, according to city bond information.

Approval of the bond would mean an annual property tax increase of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation or an estimated $150 per year on an average Tualatin home.

During Monday's meeting, Susan Novak, who chairs the Tualatin Aging Task Force, told the Tualatin council that her task force believes the measure would help not only the city's aging population but all residents as well.

She said although no one wants their taxes raised, not the least being senior citizens, traffic improvements are necessary for livability.

At the same time, Linda Moholt, CEO of the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce, said 80 percent of the Tualatin manufacturing firms who were sent chamber surveys, agreed that traffic congestion was a serious problem. While most were in favor of a local solution -- listing Tualatin-Sherwood Road, Boones Ferry Road, Sagert Street and Teton Avenue as particularly troublesome spots -- when it came to a question of paying for such improvements, one-third of the manufacturing firms surveyed said they wouldn't support such a move.

Moholt said the disapproval centered around the cost of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, noting that while traffic congestion relief is necessary, she believes going over a 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation is an issue of contention for some businesses.

The election is set for May 15 with ballots set to be mailed out beginning April 25.